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Not ANOTHER shooting!
In this episode (on the heels of yet ANOTHER mass shooting), newcomer to the family, Laura Harper arrives from west, rattled about the shooting, but with the aid of her family, she is brought into a supportive and loving environment. Again, though, that harridan Jennifer Barrett tries to throw gasoline on the fire, but to the delight of the family, Laura, herself a former Angelino, shows she can take care of herself rather well when she takes the villainous ex-model to task. Scene One Dylan Harper's townhouse. The family is quiet. As it turns out, another mass shooting has occurred. Derek Harper is quiet as he is sitting down and drinking some coffee that Mrs. Hollis has made. The family's cook notices Derek's sadness. MRS. HOLLIS: What's wrong, baby? I know something's bothering you. DEREK: You know me too well, Mrs. Hollis. MRS. HOLLIS: I've worked for your daddy for a long time. What is it, my love? DEREK: That shooting in Las Vegas. How could it happen again?! MRS. HOLLIS: I wish I knew, baby. If it were up to me, I don't think it would be happening all the time, but it did. DEREK: I am probably going to hear about it all over Harvard. MRS. HOLLIS: I daresay you might. (Enter: Ashley, Derek's sister) ASHLEY: Maybe you should stay home today, Derek? DEREK: I can't, I am afraid. I have a massive test to take and Aidan and Sammy and I have errands to run afterwards. ASHLEY: I understand, hon. I am there if you need me. DEREK: Thanks, Ash. I will be home though. Dad says there will be company tonight? ASHLEY: Yes, from what Aunt Sheila was saying. MRS. HOLLIS: Who is this person coming? ASHLEY: I don't know, Mrs. Hollis. I know that she is moving from west. She had made arrangements with Aunt June, but she had to help take care of a late aunt's estate and she lived for a time in Los Angeles. DEREK: I remember Aunt June told me about that one. ASHLEY: Yeah. She's having a huge party at the townhouse here. MRS. HOLLIS: Which means that I had best talk with your aunt about the menus. DEREK: And I have to get on to school. ASHLEY: Ellie and I will be over later. She has a dance class and she wants me there with her. MRS. HOLLIS: All right, kids. See you later. Derek, darling, can I tempt you with an omelet to eat now and I will make you another one for later on? DEREK: I would love that, thanks Mrs. Hollis. By the way, why do they call you Mrs. Hollis? MRS. HOLLIS: Well, honey, it is a tradition that was brought over from England. I am unmarried, but the Mrs. is a courtesy title. Mrs. Amberson and Mrs. Ridgeway have the same courtesy, although they are both widowed. DEREK: OK, thanks, Mrs. Hollis. Mrs. Hollis smiles and gets Derek some breakfast. He looks at the omelet and eats. She prepares another one for his lunch. The scene fades. '' Scene Two '''The townhouse, some hours later. Everyone is assembled in the main dining room. It is a rather small party, mainly close family and friends, as they don't want the newcomer besieged by a rather large family. Sheila is waiting to hear from Anyssa, who went down to the airport to pick the newcomer up. Anyssa couldn't attend the party that night, as she had a major court case the next morning. She would be in court all day. ' Meanwhile, outside, the newcomer, Laura Harper, is looking at the townhouse. Anyssa dropped her off near the Harper's steps, and she goes to the mahogany door. She rings the bell. She is kind of rattled. The butler, Bryan Steensland, answers the door. BRYAN: Yes, Ma'am? Can I help you? LAURA: I am Laura Harper. Anyssa Forson brought me here. BRYAN: That's right. We've been expecting you, Miss. Mrs. Forson said that she had a court case and couldn't attend. She had reminded us she was bringing you. LAURA: Thank you. Bryan opens the door and shows Laura in. BRYAN: Miss Laura Harper. Sheila and the rest of the family come up to her and welcome her. SHEILA: You made it. LAURA: Yeah, the flight from Los Angeles to Boston helped me get settled down a bit. Anyssa was right there when I got to the airport. MICHELLE: That had to be dreadful, I am glad you got here safely. LAURA: Thank you, Michelle. And thank your sister for me. SHEILA: I will. DYLAN: We heard about what happened, Laura. Did you know anyone at that festival? LAURA: Thankfully, no. Nobody from my circle was there. How about you all? SHEILA: Nobody that died, thank goodness. A former business associate of ours witnessed it from the nearby Luxor. I am glad he was out of the line of fire. LAURA: I admit I'm nervous. Something like that rattles you to no end. DYLAN: We understand. More than you probably know. And my sister and I had thought about that situation, Laura. Which is why we're having a small informal party here, tonight. I will tell you, though, we're going to have a bigger formal dinner party later on at the Atchley Mansion, but that won't be for a couple of weeks. My sister, Hannah, will be letting you know when. And that is where you will meet everyone else. But Sheila and I thought that tonight, a smaller get-together, with just close family and friends, would put you more at ease. Especially after all that happened. LAURA: My dad was right about you and your sister. DYLAN: I admit, I am pleased to hear that Uncle Paul spoke so highly of me. I only barely remember him and Aunt Sylvia. LAURA: Mom spoke a lot of you and Sheila. SHEILA: She was a lovely woman, your mom was. Outside, there is a horrid hullabaloo. As always, Jennifer Barrett is around to aggravate everyone. BRYAN: Not again! I can't believe she has the nerve to turn up here again! She is like a bad penny! SHEILA (annoyed): She never gives up! EVERY damned time we have a get-together, SHE has to come and spoil it! MICHELLE: Darling, don't let her get to you. SHEILA: I can't help it, Mom. It's almost like we can't have any family time together without her showing up like a plague and spoiling it! MICHELLE: She just doesn't listen. Nor does she CARE to listen, I am afraid. LAURA: Who is this? DYLAN: Her name is Jennifer Barrett. She is a very egocentric woman who just doesn't leave us alone. The name strikes a bell with Laura. LAURA: Has she been jailed? DEREK: Many times, but she doesn't even learn. LAURA (knowingly): Oh, one of those. I get it now. I do remember her. SHEILA: That's right. She was in Los Angeles when you lived there. LAURA: Yep. I knew her disgusting backside. I went to the restaurant Aaron Atherton owned, and she acted like she was so grand. ALBIE MITCHELL (he was attending the party): Yep. She thought she was so grand, but she's disgusting. And she is always giving people a sick headache. Enter Jennifer. She is gloating again! She is wearing an infernal pin stating "I Love the NRA!" MICHELLE (annoyed): Well, well, well. I see you heard the news. JENNIFER: Yes, I did! It was so beautiful! Wasn't it beautiful?! Such lovely death and destruction! That man killed 59 miserable people! Pretty soon, NOBODY can have any fun, except for ME, of course! ALBIE: Oh, shut up! You give me a sick headache, Barrett! JENNIFER: I am better than you are! And I will say it again! Nobody else is supposed to have any fun, except me of course! I am the only one who is supposed to have any fun! And I LOVED that delightful and delicious shooting! 59 miserable people, who were worthless! They were nothing, compared to the lovely and glorious ME! The recitation makes everyone sick. Laura is disgusted! LAURA: Good grief! You really are disgusting! I knew you were a skank, everyone knows about your escapades, but I never knew you could be so damned venomous and unfeeling! JENNIFER: I am proud of being venomous and unfeeling! I REVEL in it! By the way, you piece of trash, did you ever hear from that damned friend of yours? LAURA: What the hell are you talking about? JENNIFER: Didn't he die in that marvelous shooting? LAURA (getting angry): Nobody I knew was there. And he wasn't there anyway! JENNIFER: Oh, really? Oh, wait, that's right! That idiot killed himself in West Hollywood! And who cared?! He was nothing but a miserable fag! Again, Jennifer gets her laughs at others expense, but nobody else is finding what she is doing quite funny at all. SHEILA: Get out of here, right now! You were not invited! JENNIFER: No! I have a right to be anywhere I want to! Donald Trump has said that I can come to this house anytime I want to! DYLAN (furiously): I don't think so, bitch! JENNIFER: I think so! Donald Trump says so! And he has more rights than you Harper trash EVER will! Michelle takes charge now. MICHELLE: Get out of here, right now! I am not going to tell you again. JENNIFER: Make me, bitch! Just make me leave! DYLAN: Why you......!!!! Laura calms the tension down. She gives Jennifer a vicious glare. LAURA: They won't have to do a thing! And don't you DARE call my family, "trash"! It is YOU who is trash! I will be the one who will make you leave! I had no liking for you in Los Angeles, and I sure as hell have no liking for you here in Boston! Get the hell out of this house, bitch! Nobody likes your skanky ass and I don't want us to ever deal with you again! JENNIFER: I think I am just going to HAVE to call the police! You attacked me! Nobody attacks me! I am so beautiful! Laura is disgusted as Jennifer acts completely narcissistic! LAURA: Still dodging responsibility for your crimes, are we?! Well, well! Some things never change! JENNIFER: I don't have to take responsibility for ANYTHING! I am above the law! An infuriated Laura, having had enough of her disgusting behavior, bends Jennifer's arm back and marches her towards the door. Bryan, grinning, opens the door. LAURA: I told you to get out of here! Mrs. Harper-Mercier told you to get out; Dylan and Sheila have told you to get out, Derek and Ashley told you to get out! Now, get OUT! And don't come back! JENNIFER: This is MY house! This is MY neighborhood! This is MY city! Donald Trump gave them ALL to me! LAURA: No, he didn't! He wouldn't touch you with a barge pole! JENNIFER screaming: Yes, he would! He loves me! I am his pretty one! I will always be his pretty one! He gave me this city! This is all mine! He said it is! He said I can have it and do anything I want to! This is my city! This is mine! MINE! MINE!!!!!! The furious Jennifer, lying as she always does, then throws a ridiculous temper tantrum as she begins to cry. JUNE: Turn the tears off, you ridiculous tart! We've seen this scene before and it still gets more and more nauseating every time we see it! JENNIFER (still crying and howling): SHUT UP, BITCH! EVERYONE LOVES ME! THEY HATE YOU! THEY LOVE ME! ME!!!! MEEEEEEEE! AND I AM SO PERFECT! I AM ALWAYS AUTOMATICALLY INVITED TO EVERY SOCIAL FUNCTION IN TOWN! THIS IS WHERE I BELONG! EVERYBODY LOVES ME! EVERYBODY LOVES MEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!! DONALD TRUMP LOVES ME! I AM HIS PRETTY ONE! I AM! I AM! I AM! AND NONE OF YOU BASTARDS WILL DO ANYTHING TO ME! DONALD TRUMP WILL MARRY ME! I WILL BE HIS WIFE! I WILL BE THE PRETTIEST TROPHY WIFE HE WILL EVER HAVE! I WILL BE HIS LOVING WIFE! AND YOU WILL ALL BE JEALOUS OF WHAT I'LL HAVE!!!!!! AND YOU STUPID LOSERS WILL HAVE NOTHING! I WILL HAVE IT ALL! ' ''Laura, disgusted by the display of temper and tantrum, grabs a bucket of water and throws it all over Jennifer! She is spluttering in fury, while everyone is laughing at her! LAURA (smiling sweetly) Maybe, THAT will help cool you off! JENNIFER (exploding in anger): You won't get away with that, Harper trash! You cannot stop me! I will make you pay for this insult! Nobody insults the high and mighty Jennifer Barrett! NOBODY!' SHEILA: You sure about that?! You always get yourself into these things! JENNIFER ''(screaming again) 'BURN IN HELL! YOU CAN ALL BURN IN HELL!!!!!!!! ' SHEILA: You'll be there LONG before we ever will be! Again, the tantrum thrower runs down the street, screaming and crying. She is, once again denied her own way! She dislikes losing, especially when she thinks that she is a winner. While on her way down Mount Vernon Street, she runs into her perennial enemy, Detective Christine Fessenden. She senses that Jennifer was up to no good again, especially around the Harper's domiciles. A call to HQ confirmed it. She grabs Jennifer and slaps the cuffs on her. She takes her to the police car and then she talks with Officer Jenison. The two female officers throw the evil woman into another holding cell. Jennifer screams and cries in fury. Meanwhile, back at Dylan's, Laura looks at her family. LAURA: Did I do right? DYLAN: You did that PERFECTLY, Laura. And you made quite a splash on her! LITERALLY! LAURA (she gives Dylan a bright smile): Thanks, Dylan. Dylan and Sheila lead Laura into the house and she is welcomed into the family. The scene fades. Category:Episodes Category:Episodes featuring Dylan and Sheila